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SPOUSES MET AT UMW, BOTH EARN MASTER'S DEGREES TODAY
Married couple both earn their master's degrees today
Date published: 5/12/2007
BY JENN ROWELL Yard work. Clean the house. Wash the car. Go to the gym. Have a weekend off. That's the to-do list for John and Sarah Schmidt, who have been balancing jobs and school. Both earn master's degrees today from the University of Mary Washington's College of Graduate and Professional Studies. John and Sarah met during their final year of undergraduate study at Mary Washington College and have been married for five years. Today, John is getting his MBA and Sarah is getting a Master's of Education degree. They've been working full time and studying for the past three years and are looking forward to a break. "I'm excited to do something on weekends," Sarah said. "And not feel like you have to take a book with you," John added. Sarah taught for six years, four in Richmond County and two in Spotsylvania County, before taking a job on the administrative side in Richmond County. She coordinates federal programs, gifted programs, summer school and tutoring for the school division. John is a regional branch operations coordinator at Union Bank and Trust. Going through grad school together had its pros and cons. "When you're frustrated and stressed out, instead of snapping at the other person, you can understand," Sarah said. But, conflicting class schedules meant not seeing each other for days at a time. "It definitely changes your routine, but now that we're out, we've fallen back into it," John said. The hardest part of graduate work, John said, was group projects. It was different from the individual work of undergraduate days. "You have to trust that they're going to do what they say they're going to do," John said. Sarah said that balancing work, life and school was an affirmation of what she could achieve. "I feel so much more capable of handling large tasks. I feel like if I set my mind to something I can do it," she said. Still feeling like they need to be doing something every free second, the couple has some advice for people considering graduate school. John said not to make any other major plans. Sarah said not to pull all nighters, then go to work all day and then have to go back to class like John did a few times. Sarah also said to do it at the same time as your spouse if it's possible. John suggested finishing before having kids. Even though they just finished, Sarah plans to get a doctorate after a few years. "I really like school," she said. "She's a school geek," John added. Jenn Rowell: 540/374-5418
Date published: 5/12/2007
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